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VA OVERLOOKED WHISTLEBLOWERS — An independent federal investigator has found that the VA overlooked alerts from whistleblowers detailing dirty medical equipment and illegal narcotic prescriptions at medical facilities, putting patients at risk. The report found dirty facilities — one in Colorado with elevated levels of Legionnaires’ diseases-causing bacteria — and neglected patients, and describes staff “neglecting elderly residents by failing to assist with essential daily activities, such as bathing, eating and drinking.” The Pro story: http://politi.co/1l4cayW And the report: http://bit.ly/1nxpfn9

OBAMA: PASS PREGNANT WORKERS FAIRNESS ACT — The president is calling on Congress to pass a bill requiring employers to make “reasonable” accommodations for pregnant women, like allowing them to use a stool while working at a cash register or carrying a bottle of water. Women shouldn’t have to choose between their health and their job, he said yesterday at the White House Summit on Working Families.

— Obama said pregnant women can be fired for going to the bathroom too often or unpaid during their leave by a boss who has never been pregnant. “When a new baby arrives or an aging parent gets sick, workers have to make painful decisions about whether they can afford to be there when their families need them the most,” Obama said. “Many women can’t even get a paid day off to give birth,” he added, prompting laughter and applause.

“PULSE and politics, nothing is new. A yardstick for lunatics, one point of view.”

COLLINS KEEPS TRYING — When the Senate Appropriations Committee marks up the general government appropriations bill later this week, Sen. Susan Collins plans to offer an amendment that would prohibit the IRS from collecting employer mandate penalties unless it defines full-time workers as those working 40 hours a week. She’s been a major champion for the ACA revision, although Democratic leadership hasn’t shown much interest in bringing it up. The National Restaurant Association cheered Collins along in a letter yesterday: http://politico.pro/1qFPVXO

DC PREMIUMS OUT — The latest Obamacare proposed premiums are out — these ones from D.C.’s exchange. Those using the individual exchange would see an increase of less than 5 percent for most Kaiser plans and an increase of 10 percent or slightly less for most United plans. As for the small business exchange — which we must remind you most congressional staff are using — rates range from an 8 percent reduction to United Healthcare’s plans to a 12 percent bump for CareFirst’s plans. Details: http://1.usa.gov/1pbLW5Q

HAPPENING TODAY — The House Energy and Commerce Committee will host its second 21st Century Cures roundtable, this one themed on digital health care (http://1.usa.gov/1q2K1Qu) … the House is scheduled to vote on the Newborn Screening Reauthorization Act, which allows states to collect and store newborn DNA (letter of support from March of Dimes: http://politico.pro/1pGu1lF) …the Senate HELP Committee holds a roundtable marking the 15th anniversary of Olmstead v. L.C., the SCOTUS ruling that the unnecessary segregation of those with disabilities in institutions violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (http://1.usa.gov/1sAtYLQ).

HOW CONGRESS BROUGHT THE MEASLES BACK — This month, the CDC reported the most cases of measles in the first six months of the year since 1994. Who’s at fault? Congress, writes Sarah Despres, a former staffer for Rep. Henry Waxman, for POLITICO Magazine. http://politi.co/1yHipTJ

HELP SENATORS WANT ANTHRAX ANSWERS — Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee want more information from CDC Director Tom Frieden on what led to the anthrax incident last week, when the agency announced that about 75 staff may have been exposed to the substance. “This breach in safety protocol threatened the health and safety of CDC staff and raises serious concerns and questions,” wrote Chairman Tom Harkin, ranking member Lamar Alexander and others. The letter: http://1.usa.gov/TpiIlx ICYMI, our recent story: http://politi.co/1pp6nd4

** A message from AbbVie: AbbVie teams with peers, academics, clinical experts and others to take on the toughest health challenges and help patients everywhere live better. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1ke4uv3 **

SHAHEEN TWEETS DELETED — A Boston lobbying firm where Sen. Jeanne Shaheen raised money yesterday sent out a tweet — and then deleted it — that the Democrat visited to discuss the effects of the ACA in the state. Her opponent, Republican Scott Brown, is accusing her of talking about Obamacare with lobbyists but not voters. Shaheen’s campaign didn’t respond to emails seeking comment. The deleted tweet: http://bit.ly/1qFQKQp

FIVE PERCENT OF AMERICANS NEWLY INSURED — That’s according to a Gallup poll, which found that half of those — about 2.8 percent of the population — obtained their plan through an Obamacare exchange. Young adults were overrepresented among those with coverage through the exchanges, but the tracking poll also found that the newly insured were less healthy than average adults. The poll: http://bit.ly/V6xcba

2015 HEALTH CARE SPENDING — It wasn’t gonna last forever, folks. The slowdown in health care spending growth is coming to an end, with PwC projecting that medical inflation in the U.S. will rise by 6.8 percent next year. But that’s still modest compared to the double-digit increases in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Consumer confidence, high costs of specialty drugs, the integration of doctors’ offices with hospitals and IT investments for large-scale health system mergers and acquisitions are expected to be contributing factors.

— The PwC report also incorporates a survey of large employers, which found that 85 percent have increased or are considering increasing employee cost-sharing for health plans. And high deductible plans are becoming more popular, with 18 percent of employers surveyed now offering them as the only insurance option for workers. The report: http://politico.pro/1mf8f7h

DOCTOR TRAINING FALLS SHORT — When it comes to knowledge about nutrition and physical activity, doctors aren’t given adequate training, contends a white paper from three prominent health policy organizations. More than three-quarters of doctors agree that their medical instruction fell short in both areas and fewer than a third of medical schools devote the 25 to 30 hours of nutrition education recommended by the National Academy of Sciences, the paper finds. As a likely consequence, fewer than one in eight doctor visits include nutrition counseling for patients. Pro’s Natalie Villacorta has more: http://politico.pro/1uYOzFx And the paper: http://bit.ly/1idbbli

DEPARTING — Richard Olague, known by some as “the voice of CMS,” is exiting the agency for the Health Resources and Services Administration where he’ll serve as director of external affairs at the newly-formed Bureau of Labor Workforce. He handled inquiries from your health team about the exchanges and insurance market reforms. PULSE wishes him the best.

— Lead CMS spokeswoman Julie Bataille is also resigning her position for other opportunities, the agency announced yesterday. Besides ACA issues, she handled questions about open enrollment in Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD V. NBC — Planned Parenthood is continuing to prod NBC over allegations that it refused to air ads related to the film Obvious Child because they use the world “abortion.” The group wrote to NBC executives asking them to clarify that “abortion” doesn’t violate the network’s standards and launched a petition that had garnered more than 10,000 signatures as of last night (and got some Twitter love from Lena Dunham besides). The letter: http://bit.ly/1j9yU0G And the petition: http://bit.ly/1jKgROE

LIMITING EMPLOYER TAX BENEFIT — CBO analyst Allison Percy gave a presentation on the effects of limiting the tax breaks for employer-sponsored health coverage. It shows the estimated effects had changes been made back in 2008 and how the Affordable Care Act has changed projected effects into the future. The presentation: http://1.usa.gov/1yHhH8Y

WHAT WE’RE READING, By Ashley Gold

Medicare will penalize about 750 hospitals across the country with the highest rates of infections and patient injuries, slapping them with about $330 million in sanctions starting in October, from FierceHealthcare: http://bit.ly/1qtEYGH

** A message from AbbVie: AbbVie teams with peers, academics, clinical experts and others to take on the toughest health challenges and help patients everywhere live better. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1ke4uv3 **